National Engineering Register
Join the NER and showcase your professional credibility.
Engineers Australia introduced the National Engineering Register (NER) in 2015. This comprehensive directory is a way to recognise engineers who meet the high standards of skill, qualification and professionalism expected in the industry.
It provides a national framework of registration for professional engineers, engineering technologists and engineering associates across the private and public sectors.
As a publicly searchable database, the NER gives individuals and businesses access to a qualified pool of engineers, endorsed by Australia’s engineering peak body.
The NER is available for anyone to search. All the engineers registered in the NER database meet Engineers Australia’s high standards of skill and professionalism.
You can search the database for engineers by name, area of engineering, location or occupational category.
Join the NER
As an engineering professional, obtaining and displaying the NER credential is a way to showcase your skill, talent and experience to prospective employers and clients.
You don’t need to be a member of Engineers Australia to apply for an NER credential.
To be eligible to apply for an NER credential, you need to meet the following criteria:
- have an Engineers Australia recognised engineering qualification or a successful Engineers Australia migration skills assessment or membership competency assessment
- have five or more years of relevant full-time equivalent engineering work experience in the relevant areas of engineering, with at least four of those being post-graduate, gained within the last 10 years.
- meet all five NER competencies (PDF).
How to apply
Applying for an NER credential is a five-step process.
- Create an account in the member portal.
- Login and complete the online self-assessment form to rate yourself against the NER competencies and apply for NER.
- Obtain two relevant referees who can verify your recent work experience.
- Have an NER interview with a qualified Engineers Australia assessor.
- Receive your outcome notification. If successful, you’ll be automatically added to the NER.
If you’re a member of Engineers Australia you can also join the NER when you apply for a Chartered credential.
Member
You’ll need to upload:
- A detailed CV that includes a summary of responsibilities, projects and achievements for each engineering role you’ve held. This could include situations, problems and opportunities faced, specialist skills or knowledge used, outcomes achieved and actions taken to address problems.
Non-member
If you’re not an Engineers Australia member, you can still apply for an NER credential.
You’ll need to upload:
- Photo identification.
- A detailed CV that includes a summary of responsibilities, projects and achievements for each engineering role you’ve held. This could include situations, problems and opportunities faced, specialist skills or knowledge used, outcomes achieved and actions taken to address problems.
- Evidence of your recognised qualifications, including transcripts and testamurs from an Engineers Australia accredited qualification. Alternatively you can use an Engineers Australia membership competency or migration skills assessment outcome letter.
For your application you’ll also need to supply the names and contact details of two people who can verify your recent work experience.
Your referees:
- Must be Chartered members of Engineers Australia, registered on the NER, or engineers with more than five years of post-graduate engineering experience.
- Must be individuals who have a recent (within the last five years) professional relationship with you.
- Must be individuals who have supervised or directly worked with you and are familiar with your professional work.
- Preferably work in the same area of engineering practice that you’re seeking registration in.
- At minimum, are familiar with you and your engineering work to provide a meaningful reference.
An assessor will contact your referees to discuss you and your experience. They’ll also send them documentation to complete prior to an interview.
Registration on the NER operates on an annual subscription basis with different fees for members and non-members.
The assessment fee includes registration on the NER for the remainder of the current membership or financial year.
All prices include GST.
| Member | Non-member | |
|---|---|---|
| Assessment | $380 | $630 |
| Annual fee | $125 | $195 |
Additional area of engineering fee
If you’re already on the NER and want to add a further area of engineering, you can apply through the member portal.
The cost to members to add an additional area of engineering is $380.
Gain recognition
In addition to using the post-nominal NER, you can share your NER credential as a digital badge on your LinkedIn profile and other platforms to showcase your achievement.
By representing your credential with a verified digital badge, you can proudly demonstrate your professional capability to employers, prospective clients and peers.
The NER digital badge is delivered through Credly’s Acclaim platform.
You will receive an email from [email protected]
- Click the button in the email to accept your badge.
- Create a free account on the Acclaim website.
- Claim your badge.
- Upload to your professional social media accounts.
If you have any questions about credentials or membership, contact us.
All fees are quoted in and will be charged in Australian dollars.
Fees are inclusive of Goods and Services Tax (GST).
| Assessment | Fee |
| Entry to practice (Stage 1) – non-member | $835 |
| NER – member | $380 |
| NER – non-member | $630 |
| Chartered – member | $2045 |
| State registration eligibility QLD, VIC and ACT – non-member | $630 |
| State registration eligibility and (BIA) WA – non-member | $630 |
| Building industry endorsement (BIE) – VIC | $380 |
| Building industry assessment (BIA) – ACT and WA | $380 |
| NSW specific assessments | Fee |
| PE1 – pre-1989 engineering qualification | |
| Previously assessed – non-member | $100 |
| Un-assessed listed qualifications – non-member | $100 |
| Un-assessed and un-listed qualifications – members and non-members | $810 |
| PE2 - less than two years of Australian experience – members and non-members | $535 |
| Knowledge and skills assessment DP (VT) – members and non-members | $540 |